East Valley Online Learning: ‘I wanted to be the best I could be’

East Valley Online senior Elizabeth Miller felt lost in large public schools but has blossomed since beginning online classes in her freshman year.

As Miller tells it, she found her motivation.

“I picked myself back up,” she said. “I wanted to be the best I could be. I wanted to show improvement.”

Teacher Paula Cavaness said Miller’s turnaround to a student who has earned straight A’s for the past two years has been remarkable. “She is the most positive and grateful student I’ve ever worked with,” Cavaness said. “She never hesitates to thank staff for even the smallest thing.”

Miller said she felt unsafe in her previous schools because of the constant threat of school violence and drugs. “I felt like I didn’t belong there,” she said. “East Valley Online, they made me feel welcome. It helped me greatly. I got to get my grades up, I got to do hobbies.”

She’s had time to explore drawing, playing piano and writing poetry. “All of it is self-taught,” she said. “I like to do opera musicals. I got to explore myself and explore me and what is of me.”

She said she enjoys that East Valley Online allowed her a time of self-discovery and appreciates that the school feels like a family where she feels wanted and heard.

Miller was born in Las Vegas and moved to the area with her family when she was 3. In the past few years, her family has suffered terrible loss – her brother died in 2015, her grandmother in 2018 and her father in 2022. She and her mother have struggled financially and have few extras, but Miller said she doesn’t mind.

“Some say it’s simple,” she said. “That’s fine. I love this life.”

Their financial situation forced Miller to give up her extracurricular activities. Their car broke drown and they haven’t been able to pay to get it fixed. She used to participate in wrestling, volleyball, basketball, track, choir, Key Club and Future Business Leaders of America.

Miller said she misses her school activities, but now focuses on her hobbies. “I just keep swimming, just like Dory,” she said, referencing a character in “Finding Nemo.” “You don’t have to forget about the people in your life, but you can’t mourn in the past. You have to keep going.”

Miller said that though her journey has not been easy, she believes everything has a purpose.

Cavaness said Miller’s teachers have noticed the difficulties she’s had at home. “She has had struggles with her personal life as well but those who meet her would never know,” she said. “She is an extremely hard worker and just a great human being.”

Miller once thought about going into aerospace engineering, but is now having second thoughts. “I really love psychology,” she said. “I get to learn about thinking, mental processes.”

She has a College Bound Scholarship, a state program that offers free tuition at state universities for those who qualify. She’s considering taking some classes at a community college before moving on to a four-year school. She’s deciding whether to pursue a career as a psychologist or to harness her love of animals and become a veterinarian instead.